Director Research @Topline

Topline Advisory is the AI-First Executive Search & GTM Advisory firm for Private Equity and their portfolio companies in Europe. Founded by ex-CXOs from leading unicorns and ex-McKinsey consultants, with headquarters in Munich, Hamburg, and Berlin.

As Director Research, you are the engine of our search delivery: you find the candidates others miss - through deep market knowledge, creative sourcing, and the smart use of modern AI tools.

• Candidate Sourcing & Identification: Build longlists for C-level and Senior Sales/GTM mandates via LinkedIn Recruiter, Apollo, AI sourcing tools, and your own research methodology
• Market Mapping: Systematically screen target industries, competitors, and career paths - who is relevant, who is moving, who is ready for the next step
• AI-Driven Research: Use and further develop our AI sourcing workflows (ChatGPT, Claude, Custom Agents) to scale and elevate the quality of our research
• Candidate Profiling: Create structured candidate profiles, conduct background research, and provide first assessments against the scorecard
• Knowledge Building: Build and maintain our internal talent database and industry insights for recurring mandates (PE portfolio, DACH B2B)

• Research Experience in a Top-Tier Executive Search Firm: Several years in a Senior Researcher role at a leading global search firm or comparable boutique
• Research Excellence & Speed: You have an ability to understand new industries and profile requrements fast and dig deeper than others when it comes to finding the right candidate
• Tool Mastery: Technical literacy with opennes leverage accuracy and speed of emerging AI tools (e.g. Juicebox, Apollo, etc.) as well as expereince in using traditional search tools (e.g. LinkedIn Recruiter, etc.)
• Structured Analytical Mindset: You think in markets, patterns, and target groups -no blind list-processing, but hypothesis-driven research
• Language: Fluent english is required, German is a plus

• AI-First Environment: You don't work against modern tools - you work with them, and actively shape how we redefine research
• Senior Exposure: Direct collaboration with the founders (ex-McKinsey, ex-CxO Unicorns) and insight into C-level searches for top PE clients
• Remote-First, Outcome-Driven: Work from wherever you are most productive - outcome beats presence